This invention relates generally to the fields of keyboards and touchscreens, and more particularly to the field of external keyboards which activate keys of a touchscreen keyboard.
A touchscreen is an electronic visual display that can detect the presence and location of a touch within the display area. The term generally refers to touching the display of the device with a finger or hand. Touchscreens can also sense other passive objects, such as a stylus. Touchscreens are common in devices such as game consoles, all-in-one computers, tablet computers, and smartphones.
The touchscreen has two main attributes. First, it enables one to interact directly with what is displayed, rather than indirectly with a pointer controlled by a mouse or touchpad. Secondly, it lets one do so without requiring any intermediate device that would need to be held in the hand (other than a stylus, which is optional for most modern touchscreens). Such displays can be attached to computers, or to networks as terminals. They also play a prominent role in the design of digital appliances such as the personal digital assistant (PDA), satellite navigation devices, mobile phones, and video games.
The popularity of smartphones, tablet computers, portable video game consoles and many types of information appliances is driving the demand and acceptance of common touchscreens, for portable and functional electronics. With a display of a simple smooth surface, and direct interaction between the user and content, fewer accessories are required. For example, some devices display a virtual keyboard on the touchscreen (referred to herein as a touchscreen keyboard). Select areas of the touchscreen correspond to respective keys of the touchscreen keyboard. A user may type in characters by sequentially touching corresponding keys of the touchscreen keyboard, similar to the way one would type in characters on an actual keyboard or keypad.
Although the touchscreen keyboard allows a host device to be used without an external keyboard, users may prefer the tactile feel and response of an actual keyboard. Some devices may allow an external keyboard to be connected to the device and used as an alternative to the touchscreen keyboard to generate inputs. However, such keyboards require the host device to have a port for connecting the keyboard. This is undesirable in smaller host devices such as smartphones where the keyboard port would increase the size and weight of the device.
Other devices are overlain on the touchscreen keyboard and work by activating a key of the touchscreen keyboard via the overlain device. Such overlain device may simply be a transparent sheet having bumps that provide a tactile guide for the respective touchscreen keys. Some overlain devices may include distinct keycaps. Conventional overlain devices, however, are unreliable resulting in key inputs not being activated, the neighboring key being activated, and/or multiple keys being activated. Accordingly, there is a need for a more reliable keyboard appliance for activating keys of a touchscreen keyboard.
Further, with regard to hand-held devices there is a need for a keyboard appliance that is convenient to use. These and other needs are addressed by various embodiments of the present invention.